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Parsons School of Design, a college of The New School, invites candidates for the position of Associate or Full Professor (tenurable) of Fashion Design and Social Justice and Donna Karan Director of the MFA Fashion Design and Society program, in the School of Fashion.

We are seeking candidates who can help us lead a new era of fashion education by decentering whiteness, fostering body inclusion and advancing equity and social justice. Candidates should demonstrate how their lived and professional experiences inform a deep commitment to diverse and intersectional communities and whose theoretical, professional practice and making/design expertise furthers social justice in and through fashion design practice. Candidates should also have experience leading projects, programs and/or units in higher education, the fashion industry and/or the community.

The work of this faculty member is divided between (1) teaching, (2) scholarship or professional/creative practice, and (3) university service. The standard teaching load is five courses––or the equivalent––per academic year. Within their field of expertise, the faculty member may be expected to teach First Year and undergraduate as well as graduate courses, to majors and non-majors. They will hold regular office hours, and participate in extracurricular teaching activities such as critiques, review panels, thesis supervision, independent study, and advising. University service includes program, Parsons, and New School assignments on committees and task forces, and as program directors or associate directors with a reduced teaching load. All faculty are expected to be engaged with scholarship or professional/creative practice at a level commensurate with their faculty rank.

Donna Karan Director, MFA Fashion Design and Society

This faculty member will also serve as Donna Karan Director of the MFA Fashion Design and Society program, a 3-year rotational leadership role. While program director, the faculty member will teach the equivalent of 3 courses per academic year. The MFA Design and Society program is the first graduate program of its kind in the United States. Innovative and progressive, the program offers students the opportunity to make substantive contributions to the field of fashion design. Students learn to consider design, production, and distribution cycles as well as social, critical, ecological and communication dimensions of fashion. The program was initiated with the support of Parsons alumna and designer Donna Karan. Its admission rate is highly competitive, and students have been finalists/winners in competitions such as LVMH Awards, International Woolmark Prize, CFDA Awards, H&M Awards, VFiles Award, and Feel the Yarn at Pitti Filati.

The Program Director should be a leader in amplifying Indigenous, Black, and/or People of Color; fostering inclusion of plus-size or disabled bodies; and/or other means of advancing social justice and challenging dominant systems in and through fashion design. The Program Director oversees effective curriculum delivery, assessment, and development of the MFA Fashion Design & Society program; serves on the Leadership Council of the School of Fashion; supports recruitment and admission of MFA Fashion Design & Society students; and manages the day-to-day operations of the program. The Program Director also participates in establishing and developing the culture, identity, and academic reputation of the historical importance of Parsons’ leadership role in the field of fashion design more broadly.

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